COLLEGE PARK, MD – Maryland volleyball opened Big Ten Conference play with a hard-fought battle, but the team ultimately fell to Northwestern, 3-2 (25-19, 22-25, 25-18, 27-25, 11-15).
The Terps (9-3, 0-1 B1G) used a 5-0 run midway through the first set, along with a pair of 4-0 runs and five service aces, to steal the first set of the match. However, Northwestern (3-6, 1-0 B1G) claimed the back-and-forth second set that featured 14 ties. The Terps responded by taking control of the match, 2-1, but dropped the final two sets.
Samantha Schnitta had an impressive all-around performance, totaling 17 kills, six aces, seven digs and two assists. Her six service aces set a new career high. Through 10 games, she has 37 service aces, ranking first in the Big Ten and among the top in the NCAA.
Sam Csire also had a strong outing. She posted 14 kills and 15 digs for the 17th double-double of her career.
Ellie Watson (eight kills, four digs and three blocks) and
Eva Rohrbach (10 kills and four blocks) added standout performances. Watson's 10 kills were a career-high.
Sydney Dowler and
Zoe Huang combined for 46 assists.
Breaking Down The Action
Set 1: Maryland 25 - Northwestern 19
- The Terps jumped out to a 4-0 lead, keyed by consecutive Samantha Schnitta service aces.
- Northwestern equalized at four, and the teams went back-and-forth, as kills from Sydney Dowler, Sam Csire and Ellie Watson kept the Terps consistently on the Wildcats' tail.
- At 8-8, kills from Watson and Schnitta powered Maryland to a two-point lead. Despite one Northwestern point, a Sydney Bryant block and Lilly Gunter service ace put the Terps up 12-9.
- Maryland then went on a 5-0 run and extended their lead to 17-10, forcing Northwestern into a timeout.
- The Terps added a 4-0 run featuring a Csire kill to break into the 20-point threshold, 21-12.
- Northwestern threatened with a late 5-1 run, but Watson and Schnitta's kills secured the first set in Maryland's favor.
Set 2: Northwestern 25 - Maryland 22
- The Wildcats had an early 2-1 lead before Maryland delivered a 4-0 run to go ahead 5-2. During this stretch, Csire had another kill, and Ally Williams smashed a service ace.
- The teams traded points for most of the middle of the second set. The teams went in-and-out of ties until the Terps went up 20-18 with the first 3-0 run in the frame since Maryland's early 5-2 lead. Kills from Bryant and Eva Rohrbach supported this run.
- Then Northwestern took a slight 22-20 advantage with a 4-0 run, but Maryland interrupted with a Rohrbach kill.
- The Wildcats ultimately reached 25 first and took the second set despite a razor-thin margin between the teams. There were 14 total ties in the frame.
Set 3: Maryland 25 - Northwestern 18
- Rohrbach and Bryant opened the third set with one kill each, along with a Rohrbach block to put the Terps up 3-1.
- Up 4-3, Maryland went on a 3-0 run, featuring another Csire kill.
- The teams traded the next handful of points, but the Terps never yielded their advantage. Maryland capitalized on multiple Northwestern service errors.
- The Terps took another 3-0 run that included a Dowler block assist and a Rohrbach kill.
- Another stretch of back-and-forth battling ensued, as Schnitta continued upping her kill total to keep the Terps closely ahead of the Wildcats.
- Maryland utilized late-set momentum to close out the frame on a 5-1 run. Another Schnitta service ace and kill, and a Rohrbach kill fueled the end of the Terps' successful third set.
Set 4: Northwestern 27 - Northwestern 25
- The Wildcats took an early 9-3 lead, but the Terps stormed back to cut the deficit to two. Csire notched a kill and service ace, Bryant had a block and Schnitta tallied another kill during a 4-0 run that put the Terps only down 10-8.
- The teams returned to back-and-forth battling, until Maryland went on a 3-0 run to equalize at 13, including a Bryant kill and a pair of Csire kills.
- Watson achieved Maryland's 16-15 go-ahead point with a kill. The Terps added two more points on a Schnitta-Watson block and Schnitta kill for another three-point run.
- More kills from Schnitta upped Maryland's score to 21-18.
- The score was tied at 22, 23, 24 and 25 apiece before Northwestern ultimately took the fourth set, winning 27-25.
Set 5: Northwestern 15 - Maryland 11
- The teams opened the fifth set with back-and-forth points, in line with the preceding play.
- Maryland tied it at 6-6 on another Csire kill and tied it again at 7-7 on another Schnitta kill.
- With the Wildcats up 11-7, the Terps fought back to within two at 12-10, thanks to more Csire and Schnitta kills.
- But Northwestern made it to the 15-point mark before the Terps could, ending the set and the match in the Wildcats' favor.
Numbers To Know
- 5: Sydney Dowler ranks fifth all-time in assists for Maryland. She now has 3546 assists.
- 6: Samantha Schnitta recorded six service aces for a new career-high.
- 7: Eva Rohrbach recorded 10 or more kills for the seventh time in her career.
- 8: Ellie Watson set a new career-high with eight kills.
- 17: Sam Csire recorded the 17th double-double of her career, including the first of the season.
- 36: Schnitta tallied six service aces in the match, bringing her to 36 on the season, ranking first in the Big Ten and among the top three in the NCAA.
- 43: Schnitta has 43 games in her career with 10 or more kills as a Terp, including nine this season.
- 67: Csire has 67 games with 10 or more kills in her career.
- 94: Lilly Gunter has 94 career games with 10 or more digs.
Up Next
- Maryland continues Big Ten play against Iowa on Saturday. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the XFINITY Center Pavilion. This game will be streamed live on Big Ten Plus.
